petunia

noun

pe·​tu·​nia pi-ˈtün-yə How to pronounce petunia (audio)
-ˈtyün-
: any of a genus (Petunia) of tropical South American herbs of the nightshade family that are commonly grown as annuals for their fragrant, colorful, trumpet-shaped flowers

Illustration of petunia

Illustration of petunia

Examples of petunia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Examples of plants that can be located in full sun now but in the half-day sun later would include petunia, dianthus, lobelia, and columbine (Aquiegia spp.) 2. Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 8 Mar. 2024 As soon as guests enter through a tall wooden door and proceed to the courtyard, they’ll be enveloped by abundant foliage such as palms, pines and blossoms of petunias and paper flowers. Jeanine Barone, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Jennifer Kuzma, co-director of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center at North Carolina State University, is surprised that there more studies haven't come out about the environmental risk of luminescent petunias. Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Feb. 2024 Sunflowers, petunias and pansies, meanwhile, are all pet-friendly flowers Pets should stay away from certain flowers for their health, veterinarians say while sharing their floral safety tips ahead of Valentine's Day. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 11 Feb. 2024 This innovative hybrid combines the best qualities of petunias and calibrachoas, resulting in a plant that offers the best of both worlds. Dawn Pettinelli, Hartford Courant, 12 Jan. 2024 Options for your new plantings include pinks, sweet alyssum, larkspurs, snapdragons, Iceland poppies, stocks, foxgloves, wallflowers, ornamental Swiss chard and, a little closer to March, petunias. Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Feb. 2024 The petunias emit light throughout the plant’s entire life cycle, but the flowers are particularly luminous. WIRED, 19 Sep. 2023 Last month, the agency gave the go-ahead to a glow-in-the-dark petunia that contains genes from bioluminescent mushrooms and will go to market next year. WIRED, 30 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'petunia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from obsolete French petun tobacco, from Tupi petɨ́ma

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of petunia was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near petunia

Cite this Entry

“Petunia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petunia. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

petunia

noun
pe·​tu·​nia pi-ˈt(y)ün-yə How to pronounce petunia (audio)
: any of a genus of tropical South American herbs of the nightshade family widely grown for their showy funnel-shaped flowers

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